


pancake lovin'

by watergator



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22308097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watergator/pseuds/watergator
Summary: phil is mortified after his face and phone number is plastered all over his university after a cruel prank, only things don't seem to be too terrible when he meets a rather attractive boy named dan
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 23
Kudos: 184





	pancake lovin'

Phil sees red.

It’s not a common thing for Phil to feel this enraged. He remembers as a kid he’d get the occasional tantrum every time he’d get to a certain point in Bobble Bubble and end up dying because Martyn wasn’t taking it seriously enough, too busy pissing about. He remembers feeling angry whenever he’d feel stuck on a maths test question and it felt like everyone in the classroom knew the answer.

That was reasonable anger, Phil reckons.

And right now he’s feeling like he’s toeing over the edge of reasonable and more over into hulk like territory.

But even that doesn’t stop him from feeling utterly enraged.

“Just take them down, Mark,” he finds himself saying with an icy voice.

Maybe it’d be better just to fly off the handle and go rampant on his poor, poor university housemate. Maybe screaming and frothing at the mouth would be better than the serious demeanour he’s giving off now, stood in their dingy little living space, talking to his mate like he’s his  _ mother _ .

Mark’s staring down at the ground, like a naughty child before he lets out a heavy sigh and a slump of his shoulders as if giving in to defeat. 

“Alright, sorry.”    
  
He seems huffy, and Phil isn’t one to want to engage in the beginnings of an argument, especially with one of his friends, so he just sighs and leaves the room before anything can escalate.   
  
The damage is done, the prank wars is inevitably over and Phil’s dignity has in return has been shattered for all of campus to know.

He’s heading to his room when his phone buzzes in jeans pocket. He fishes it out with a slither of hope that maybe it isn’t something to do with stupid, bloody  _ pancake loving  _ but of course it’s just another text that only makes Phil’s blood pressure rise once again.

**_Hmu for sum pancake lovin’. Want that sauce bby?_ **

Phil groans before heading towards his bed, diving head first into his pillow for retreat, letting his phone fall away from him, not caring where it lands or what other texts he’s probably about to receive from the way it buzzes again.   
  
He’s sure he’s going to have to grow a beard and change his name after this. It’s the only possibility right now. He doesn’t think he can bear another flipping pancake text, sexual or not sexual.   
  
*   
  
Phil’s hiding in the library. He’s supposed to be trying to get some study time squeezed in before his next class but on the way here there had been a group of girls that had passed him and made some snide joke about how good his cakes were.   
  
Gay panic had instantly been kicked into the highest gear, and now here he was stuck in the back of the room, hiding behind the animal section of the books, hoping nobody would come back here and find him just to ridicule him any further.   
  
He’s peeking his head over his book when he sees a boy stood at the end of the isle giving him a strange look.   
  
Phil ducks back down, hoping maybe the strange second of eye contact would warn this guy off, but instead there’s footsteps coming towards him and all Phil can hope and pray for is that the boy has found whatever book he’s looking for and he can just finally be left alone until he plucks up the courage to leave the library and become a normal human being again.   
  
But all those hopes and dreams and crushed under the final step taken in front of him by the mysterious stranger, when Phil looks back up and he’s stood right in front of him. His lips curl around a smile and he looks like he’s rather amused, and Phil can only guess why,   
  
“You’re the pancake guy,” the boy grins, huffing out a pleased little laugh as if Phil is some sort of celebrity and he’s just hit gold by bumping into him in the college library.   
  
Phil supposes at this point he may as well be an actual campus celeb, except it’s all for the wrong reasons entirely.   
  
Phil could actually kill Mark for this. Like actually kill him.   
  
“I’m not,” Phil lies terribly. He gets up and sets the book down on the table and yanks his backpack off the floor ready to make a break for it. Studying will have to either wait as he goes to walk past the boy.   
  
He watches him pluck the book off the table as he steps closer to Phil.   
  
“Yeah, you are,” he says, cocking his head a little bit, like he’s looking at Phil with determination. It makes Phil squirm on the spot.   
  
“No,” Phil tries to lie again but this guy must be some ultra detective that can just see straight through him apparently because he shakes his head with a deep chuckle, the book clutched to his chest,

“Nah, mate. I think I’d definitely remember a face like yours,” he smiles.

Phil balks at him, gripping his backpack strap a little tighter as he watches the smile drop completely off the boys face, replaced with one of terror.   
  
“I didn’t— that’s not what... Shit.”   
  
It takes a few moments of his brain to process what just happened for Phil to realise what this guy means, and what he’s stumbling over his words for.   
  
And when it clicks it’s like an  _ oh! _ moment because he’s staring at the brown haired boy, both in a weird stretch of silence before Phil clears his throat and shifts his weight to one leg, trying to be as casual as possible.   
  
“Well, it wasn’t my idea,” he says quickly. “I’ve had plenty of weird and creepy calls from all sorts of people since my friend put the posters up. I can confidently say my dating life has gone out of the window now that every guy I come into contact with thinks I want pancake loving, whatever that even means.”   
  
His heart is racing in his chest. He’s come out plenty of times; to his parents, to his brother and even to his friends even if he was cornered into it after a dating site mishap, but even after meeting strangers at uni, various parties where he’d have to explain that  _ no, pretty girl, I do not want to kiss you and feel your boob,  _ it was still scary at times to just drop that bomb on someone he didn’t really know at all.   
  
The boy looks at him before he seems to let out a weird and awkward laugh that makes Phil laugh back.   
  
“That’s rough,” he tells him.   
  
“I’m thinking of perhaps running away and changing my identity.”   
  
The boy snorts a laugh. “You have too much of a unique face for that,” he shrugs, trying to come across as nonchalant as possible, but the waver in his voice gives it away.   
  
Phil frowns at him. “Is that a compliment?” He asks. “Or are you just really good at insulting me in the nicest way possible?”   
  
The boy grins again, and it’s not until then that Phil notices the double dimples in his cheeks. 

“Maybe a little bit of both. You do have a unique face,” he says. “I’m Dan by the way.”

Phil looks at him. He smiles. “Phil.”   
  
Dan raises his brows. “Pancakes. Phil. P. It’s a conspiracy.”   
  
Phil looks down and back up at Dan again. “I have nothing to do with that, I’m debunking it, right now.”   
  
Dan’s eyes crinkle and it makes Phil’s chest go all kinds of airy, in a new and weird way.   
  
“Sure you are. Is that why you’re hiding in the back of the library?” Dan asks, waving the book he still has in his hand with a cheeky grin.   
  
Phil’s face burns a red hot and he swallows thickly. “I’m not… I wasn’t hiding.”   
  
Dan’s expression softens and yeah, maybe he’s cute, Phil thinks.   
  
“Okay. I believe you, Pancakes.”   
  
Phil frowns at him, trying his best to emit the most annoyed energy he can possibly muster, but it doesn’t work because Dan’s just tilting his head back a little bit and letting out a louder laugh.   
  
“You’re weird,” Phil tells him.   
  
Dan snorts. “You’re the weirder one.”   
  
Phil bites his bottom lip before he says,   
  
“I have to get to class.”   
  
He doesn’t miss the way Dan’s face smile seems to falter for a little bit before he’s nodding.    
  
“Right. I’ll see you around then, hm?”   
  
Phil frowns in confusion before he realises what Dan means and he’s scoffing. “I told him to take the posters down.”   
  
Dan shoots him a devilish grin. “I think the whole of York has their hands on that photo by now.”   
  
Phil groans. “Great, just what I need. A bunch of weirdos recognising me.”   
  
Dan tilts his head again, “I’m not a weirdo though? Right?”   
  
Phil looks at him for a second before the corners of his lips are tugging into a smile. “Only a little bit.”   
  
Dan makes an incredulous face, pretending to be hurt before Phil gives a little laugh as he moves past him.   
  
“See you, Dan.”   
  
And with that he’s finally gathered the courage to push past Dan and leave the comfort of the library.   
  
*   
  
He’s laying in bed when he gets a text. The pancake stuff is seriously starting to spiral out of control. Mark seems to be on edge the whole time ever since the mini argument they had but Phil’s doing his best to move past it.   
  
It’s a hard thing to do, especially when he’s now being bombarded by actual weirdos.    
  
It had crossed the line from a harmless joke to Phil having horrible voicemails left on his phone as well a plethora of horrible texts that came paired with photos of unwarranted dicks that made him want to pour bleach into his actual eyeballs just to forget what he’d see every time his phone flashed up with a new message.   
  
Mark had apologised and Phil had no other choice but to just forgive him. There wasn’t much they could do, though Mark had smartly suggested to either change his number or get a new phone.   
  
But with the limited amount of money he had with no job and student debt up to his balls, and without having to explain it all to his parents, there was no real way Phil would be able to afford to switch numbers or buy an entirely new phone, and so he would just have to wait it out until hopefully the excitement of it all would die down and he’d finally be forgotten along with his stupid phone number.

He gives up on the homework he’s trying to finish when he picks up his phone, unsure of what he’s about to be faced with, he braces himself for the worst. Only yesterday had he opened his phone in class only to be greeted with a picture of an actual asshole.    
  
Crude and equally as disgusting he’d shoved his phone back into his pocket before glancing gingerly around him to see the kid behind him with a rather disgusted expression.   
  
At least Phil hadn’t been alone in witnessing such horrors.   
  
He looks at his phone and granted, it’s nothing horrifying, thank god.   
  
Instead, it’s a seemingly normal, yet odd, text.   
  
**_i’m not a weirdo_ **

Phil frowns at it, like staring at it will help make it make more sense. His phone buzzes again as a second text comes through.   
  
**_it’s dan btw hello :]_ **

Phil sits up properly so he can read the text over again. Dan. Dan the guy from the library. Dan the guy from the library that was kinda almost flirting with him.   
  
His stomach squirms and he shifts on his bed. He hates the implication that his brain just jumps to that every guy that’s remotely nice to him, they must fancy him or something.   
  
Still. Dan was most likely flirting, only a little bit.   
  
**_You are definitely a weirdo :P Did you get my number from the poster?_ **

He sits and waits for a response, and thankfully it doesn’t take too long, almost like Dan was waiting too.   
  
**_if i say yes does that make me more of a weirdo?_ **

Phil snorts a laugh as he taps his thumbs across his phone.  
  
**_only a little bit remember :P_ **

Dan’s nice. Dan is definitely strange but he likes Dan. He’s seemingly harmless and so far he seems to be the best thing to come out of this whole stupid joke.   
  
His phone buzzes again in his hands, making him jump a little.   
  
**_good. i haven’t scared you off then have i? xD_ **

Phil smiles.   
  
**_Not yet! Why? Do I need scaring off? O.o_ **

It takes a little longer for Dan to reply back all whilst Phil can feel his heart thumping in his chest.   
  
When a new text pops up it’s like a flood of relief, all whilst still feeling frightened.   
  
**_not if i wanna ask you out T__T_ **

Phil sucks in a sharp breath. So far, Dan is weird, Dan is funny, Dan is nice and Dan is blunt.   
  
He’s hitting the call button before he can really think of anything else.   
  
The line connects and Phil’s already opening his mouth before he can give poor Dan a chance.   
  
“This isn’t a joke, is it?” Phil asks.   
  
There’s silence on the other line before it crackles and he can hear the sound of Dan breathing into his ear.   
  
“No. Why would I say that as a joke?”   
  
Phil swallows thickly. “You only have my number because of some stupid joke poster. How do I know you’re not just like all the other jokers I’ve had calling me and texting me?”   
  
And maybe it’s a little harsh. Maybe he’s still a bit bitter and hurt over what’s happened. Maybe Phil’s just anxious and too caught up in his head to just let it go.   
  
Maybe he’s taking it out on Dan right now because he quite likes Dan despite only really knowing him for that short amount of time in the library.   
  
Maybe he’s scared because for the first time, he likes a boy. Like proper likes a boy.   
  
“It’s not a joke,” Dan says in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry if it came across like one.”

And now Phil’s gone from angry to anxious to sad to even more anxious. It's like a full on roller coaster that’s left his tummy tangled in knots.

He sighs and flops back on his bed, phone still pressed to his ear.

“Sorry. No, I’m sorry, Dan,” he says, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He always wondered as a kid why adults did that when they were stressed out. He doesn’t really have an answer, but it helps relieve some of the stress at least.

“Was I too forward?” Dan asks, his voice timid and shy sounding. It only makes Phil feel worse.

“No,” Phil says as his sits up, rubbing at his eyes with a knuckle. “No it’s fine, I’m just. I guess I’m like super paranoid right now. Sorry.”

There’s more silence stretched out between them and Phil has to swallow quickly before he says anything else just as stupid.   
  
“It’s okay,” Dan tells him. He sounds sure. He sound sincere.

Phil runs a hand down his face and blows out a breath.   
  
“I’d be paranoid too, if it were my face and number plastered everywhere for everyone to see,” Dan carries on. “I know I hated it when people found my myspace profile, though, that was on me I suppose. Be vigilant online, Phil. That’s my nugget of wisdom.”   
  
Phil splutters out a laugh. Dan is humorous too, then.   
  
“Why? What was so incriminating about your myspace profile?” Phil asks, leaning back on his bed again, trying to picture what things Dan could have possibly put online about himself that merits the same amount of embarrassment as ‘pancake lovin’

There's more silence over the phone, and for a small second, Phil worries that maybe they’ve disconnected until there’s a crackle and a sharp intake of breath that catches him by surprise.   
  
“Well, broadcasting your sexuality to a bunch of homophobes isn’t exactly ideal,” Dan tells him in one breath. “Especially if you’re determined to stay closeted to them all.”   
  
Phil swears he feels his heart catch in his chest, becoming off-beat until he clears his throat.   
  
“Oh,” he says dumbly. “I’m sorry. That’s - god, that’s way worse than my stupid problem,” he groans.    
  
He feels like an ass. But Dan just chuckles.   
  
“It’s fine,” he says, obviously trying to come across as casual as possible, when Phil knows it probably isn’t fine.   
  
“I got away from there now. I’m here. Things are okay now.”   
  
He doesn’t sound so sure, but Phil barely knows Dan, and he doesn’t want to spook him. He won’t push for now.   
  
“I’ve never asked anyone out,” Dan suddenly blurts and it reminds Phil of why he even called in the first place. “Not really. Not a guy.”   
  
Phil’s heart is thumping hard against his ribs like it’ll bruise if it continues any harder.   
  
He swallows thickly. “I’ve never even been asked out before,” he admits shly.   
  
Dan makes a dramatic sputtering sound before squawking out, “What?!”   
  
Phil’s glad Dan is on the other end of the phone and not here in real life to see the way his face lights up, red and glowy.   
  
“Nope,” he says once Dan’s stopped being weird. “Not by a guy. Not by someone like you.”   
  
His voice goes quiet at the end and he hears Dan make a nervous kind of laugh.   
  
“Well. It’s just surprising that a guy like you hasn’t had all the attention from any guy - even if they were straight.”   
  
Phil snorts and covers his hot face with a hand, muffling his voice when he says,   
  
“Shut up.”   
  
Dan laughs and it sounds glorious. How can Phil be so smitten by one guy so quickly?    
  
“I will not. You’re like. You’re the fittest guy I’ve met so far.”   
  
Phil gulps. “What? On campus?” He asks.   
  
He can imagine the grin on Dan’s face when he says,   
  
“No. Like, ever.”   
  
Phil has to resist the urge to roll onto his stomach and just straight up scream into his pillow. He’s not sure he’s ever been flirted with like this with anyone, at this degree of cuteness.   
  
He’s had sleazy guys talk to him at the few bars and parties he’s tagged along to; guys that wanted nothing more than a good feel of his leg whilst Phil tried to squirm away, and other than that there was the occasional guy he’d talk to on the dating sites he’d signed himself up to, but once again, it appeared they only had one goal in mind, and Phil really wasn’t sure that was the best way to kick off his new freely gay lifestyle.   
  
“Hey Dan?” Phil asks.   
  
“Yes Phil?”   
  
Phil sucks in a breath. “I was really annoyed about the poster thing,” he tells him.   
  
Dan makes a small humming sound. “I know. I understand why.”   
  
Phil blinks up at the ceiling. Things are strange, but this whole thing is stranger. Somehow he feels like this was meant to happen. That Mark was meant to challenge the laws of their prank wars, taking it a step too far to broadcast Phil’s phone number all over university campus, only for Dan to find it and him in the library.    
  
Somehow it feels like fate, with the way he’s talking to Dan right now like he’s known him forever.   
  
He won’t say it out loud, but it feels destiny.   
  
“But I’m glad you texted me,” Phil tells him in a small voice. “I’m glad out of every single creep and weirdo, it was you that actually found me.”   
  
“I thought I  _ was _ a weirdo,” Dan whispers, and it makes Phil let out a giggle.   
  
“Only a little bit,” he tells him. He can picture Dan’s smile and Dan’s smile and Dan’s eyes.   
  
“Only a little bit,” he repeats back to him.   
  
Phil laughs.   
  
“Hey Phil?” Dan asks.   
  
Phil’s cheeks hurt from how hard he’s grinning.   
  
“Yes, Dan?”   
  
“Do you maybe wanna go on a date soon? Like. Coffee? Or cinema, something like that?”   
  
He’s never been asked out before. He has no idea how to really respond cooly before he’s just nodding his head,   
  
“Yes. Yeah, I’d love to.”   
  
It comes out fast and awkward but Dan doesn’t seem to really care or notice as he’s letting out an airy laugh down the phone, sounding relieved and relaxed.   
  
“Cool. Great. Thanks.”   
  
Phil has to laugh.   
  
“Thanks?” he manages between a giggle as he hears Dan let out a long, drawn out groan that cracks.   
  
“Shut up. You know I’ve never done this before.”   
  
Phil hums. “I know. It’s still funny though,” he teases.   
  
Dan hums. “Watch it, you. Or I’ll take you out for pancakes as sweet revenge.”   
  
“Lucky for you I actually like pancakes,” Phil counters back.   
  
Dan snorts a laugh. “That makes two of us, pancake boy.”   
  
“I’m hanging up now,” Phil tells him. He’s trying to keep the smile off his face, despite Dan not being able to actually see it, but he’s sure he can still hear it in his voice.   
  
“See you around, Dan,” Phil tells him.   
  
Dan giggles. “Not if I see you first.”   
  
Phil hangs up the phone, and for a moment, he indulges himself in all of his rom-con fantasies as he holds his phone to his chest and sighs.   
  
Maybe the poster prank wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all.   


**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr !! @watergator


End file.
